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Ukraine Claims Strike on 2nd Refinery 05/21 06:20
Ukrainian drones smashed into another Russian refinery overnight, starting a
fire that produced huge clouds of black smoke, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
said Thursday, in what appeared to be the latest long-range attack on Moscow's
vital oil industry.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Ukrainian drones smashed into another Russian refinery
overnight, starting a fire that produced huge clouds of black smoke, President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday, in what appeared to be the latest long-range
attack on Moscow's vital oil industry.
The drones targeted the Syzran oil refinery, located more than 800
kilometers (500 miles) inside Russia, Zelenskyy said on social media, where he
posted a video of the aftermath.
It was not possible to verify the video or independently confirm the attack.
The governor of Russia's Samara region, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, said that two
people were killed by Ukrainian drones in Syzran but he didn't mention the
refinery. Russia's Astra news outlet said that Ukrainian drones struck the
Syzran refinery owned by oil and gas giant Rosneft.
Ukraine has expanded its mid- and long-range strike capabilities, deploying
eye-catching drone and missile technology that it has developed domestically as
it battles to defeat Russia's 4-year-old invasion. Ukrainian weaponry and
expertise are now sought by other countries, whereas earlier in the war Kyiv
had to plead for massive foreign military aid.
Ukrainian drones hit another refinery the previous day, Zelenskyy said, as
attacks on Russian oil assets that play a key part in funding the invasion have
become almost daily occurrences.
"Overall, our long-range plan for May is being carried out largely in full,"
Zelenskyy said in a social media post late Wednesday. "The key targets are
Russian oil refineries, storage facilities, and other infrastructure tied to
these oil revenues."
The escalating attacks have hurt Moscow's revenue at the same time as it
feels the economic pinch of international sanctions. With some attacks reaching
more than 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) into Russian soil, the strikes have
contributed to some Russians feeling unsafe due to the war and heaped pressure
on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine reportedly makes battlefield gains
Ukraine's new reach has also helped it push Russian troops back along parts
of the front line, with Ukrainian forces making their most significant
battlefield gains since 2024, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
"Ukraine's intensified midrange strike campaign against Russian logistics,
military equipment, and manpower since early 2026 has also degraded Russian
forces' ability to conduct offensive operations across the theater and has also
likely supported recent Ukrainian advances," the Washington-based think tank
said in an assessment late Wednesday.
Ukraine has slowed Russia's battlefield advance and is gradually regaining
the initiative along the front line, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said,
partly due to Russian forces being denied access to Starlink satellite services
to steer its drones toward targets.
"Russia has since not been able to find a full replacement (for Starlink),
giving Ukraine a critical battlefield advantage," Fedorov told reporters. He
spoke on Saturday but his comments were embargoed till Thursday.
Fedorov said in February he had asked Elon Musk's SpaceX to help deny Russia
use of the service in Ukraine. Starlink is a global internet network that
relies on around 10,000 satellites orbiting Earth.
Fedorov said that mid-size drones have become a key technological advantage
for Ukraine on the front line and claimed that Ukrainian forces have doubled
their interception rate of Russian drones over the past four months.
Ukraine is also preparing changes to the military, covering pay and contract
terms, he said.
Drone attacks claim victims in Ukraine and Russia
Russia's Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 121 Ukrainian drones
between late Wednesday and early Thursday.
In the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine, eight people were injured by
Ukrainian drones, according to the regional governor, Alexander Shuvayev.
Russia has also invested heavily in drones, using them to bombard civilian
areas of Ukraine throughout the war and killing more than 15,000 civilians,
according to the United Nations.
Ukraine's air force said Thursday it shot down 109 out of 116 drones that
Russia launched overnight.
One civilian was killed and at least six others were wounded in the strikes
in the north, south and east of the country, emergency services said.
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